Red as blood
by Lonesome ronin
Summary: Humanity does not only have the titans to slay, there is also the bloodthirsty vampires. Ayano is part of the survey corps who's mission is to kill titans and vampires. She has strong feelings for her captain, Levi ever since she met him. But he has a secret, makes him unable to answer to her feelings. Will she ever find it out? And will her feelings still be the same then?
1. Vampires and Titans

_**Vampires and titans:**_

Ayano had liked the raven haired captain from the first time she saw him. He was like no one else she had ever met. His steel grey eyes looked like it always saw through everyone. Like nothing passed him, and his pale skin was completely flawless. And when he fought titans or vampires, he was so fast and quick, like nothing could ever be able to kill him. She was not the only one who admired captain Levi though. He wasn't called humanity's strongest for nothing after all.

But it was not often that she got to be alone with him, and when she was, he always made sure to keep it short, and she always had a hard time to come up with a reason to stay and talk to him longer. She was always happy when she got the chance at least. And sometimes it did happen that she could spend a longer time with him, even though it was rare.

Yes, as if the giant, human eating titans outside the big walls that protected humanity form them wasn't enough, there was also vampires. In some ways they where worse then titans. A titan you couldn't mistake for anything else. They where stupid, giant humanoids with no mind of their own, at least as it seemed. But a vampire looked so much like a human, until you got closer and suck your dry of blood. And once they are done, you'll turn to a monster like them. Then there was no other way but to kill the human as well until they turn. At least being eaten by a titan would only leave you dead. You wouldn't turn to one.

The survey corps mission was to kill titans and vampires, for the safety of humanity. Ayano was happy to be part of the survey corps, feeling like she did something good, and of course be close to Levi. There was not many who dared to apply though. Not strange though, since you'd risk your own life.

One day at breakfast Ayano sat down by her friends Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Marco, Connie and Sasha when they started to talk about vampires.

"A new attack has occurred in Trost district. Someone told me yesterday. They seem to have sent some people out to take care of it. Hope they soon send us out too. I want to kick some vampire but as well. Or a titan one would be good too" Connie said cockily.

"Stop it Connie. None of those creatures are to play with. I mean… They are so scary" Sasha whined. Eren suddenly leaned in and whispered.

"I've heard some people telling some rumours that Captain Levi might be a vampire" Everyone around the table suddenly went quiet, before bursting out laughing.

"Right, come on. As if that would be possible" Ayano laughed and wiped her eyes with her hand.

"Why not? I mean, have any of you seen him at breakfast, lunch or dinner? And besides, he is pale as a ghost" Ayano shook her head and smiled.

"Come on. Vampires are bloodthirsty beast, and Levi is far from that. If he was, he would have attacked us by now right? Or we would hear of strange deaths inside the survey corps headquarters. And he would not be in the survey corps to begin with, fighting for humans. Beside, Mikasa here is pale too, but I don't hear you calling her a vampire" Ayano reasoned, while the others continued to laugh and agree with her.

"Well, didn't say that I believed in some stupid rumours anyway" Eren made sure to point out before going back to his breakfast, ending the conversation of vampires for the time being.

Hange, a brown haired woman, which she always held up in a messy pony tale knocked on the captains door a short while after breakfast, but opened it before any answer.

"Delivery" She smiled and placed some boxes on the floor before getting her quite big glasses back on the right place.

"Thanks" Levi answered. When he noticed that she had not gone away yet, he looked up and gave her a questioning look.

"C...can I stay and watch you drink that this time?" She pointed towards the boxes she just had placed down. Levi sighed.

"The answer is no, as always four-eyes"

"Aaaw, come on Levi! I want to see! Might teach me something new" She plead.

"Don't be an idiot. Not even humans like being watched while they're eating right? Besides, it would only gross you out and all anyway" Hange didn't look convinced about that.

"You should be happy I can provide you with blood. Sometimes it's good to be a scientist and doctor. You could at least thank me by letting me do a small bit of research on how the blood affects you right as you drink it. Oh, by the way. Heard some students talk about a rumour of you being a vampire at breakfast today" Levi sighed again.

"Damn brats. It's not like I go around making it obvious. I try my hardest to not let anyone know"

"Well, I do think it might help if you showed yourself at the dining hall now and again" Hange answered.

"And what? Pretend to eat or something? Sure it wouldn't look suspicious going there and not eating anything? That would start rumours anyway… Even if I wished I could..." Hange gave him a small smile.

"Don't worry. No one will believe it. Me and Erwin are still the only once that know the truth. And no one else will be able to figure it out"

"Your right. Now, leave. I still have some paperwork to do" Hange didn't seem to listen, but instead sat herself down on the writing desk.

"You know, that girl Ayano claimed your innocence at least. She seems to really like you very much" She chuckled.

"You don't think I noticed? Every fucking time she sees me hear damn heart beat so fast that I barely can hear anything else"

"Oh, I bet it must be very annoying. Her veins pumping faster and all, her scent probably changes too right? Getting more… alluring?" She couldn't hide her smile when she noticed his jaw tense.

"Shut up shitty glasses! Don't test your luck"

"Listen. I do think I've known you long enough to see that she's making an impact on you as no one else have manage to. You can tell me honestly. You like her as well right?" He leaned back in his chair, with his hands together.

"So what if I would now? It's not like I could do anything about it"

"Come on Levi. No human can live alone forever. And even if you are a vampire that also implies to you. Everyone needs love. I can't hear your heartbeat when she is close like you can do with hers, that's true. But I can see it in how you act and how you look at her. I can tell it in your soul"

"Vampires don't have a soul Hange" He said, barely audible.

"If that was true Levi, you would not dedicate so much for humanity's sake. You would not care if people died, which I know you do. So, don't tell me you don't have a soul, because I know you do. You are the only vampire we have been able to come this close to. You have helped us a lot to understand things about them that we would never been able to without you"

She gave him one last look, but when he refused to meet her eyes or say anything more, she decided it was time to leave for the time being.

When she was gone, he turned to the box Hange had left for him with a disgusted look.

When she got outside, she almost bumped into Erwin Smith, the tall, blond, blue eyed commander of the survey corps. She saluted him.

"Been to Levi?" He asked her.

"Yeah" Erwin noticed her look and smirked.

"Didn't go well?"

"Oh it did. Well, he is too stubborn. You know how cadet Ayano always looks at him. It's painfully obvious that she likes him. And I am sure you also have noticed that he also likes her. I mean, who else can even make him turn that frown upside down as she can? I told him that he should talk to her and open up about his feelings. But he didn't listen to me" Erwin laughed.

"I know. He sure can be stubborn. But you must also know where he comes from. It's not easy for him to open up like that. Always so afraid he will hurt someone"

"I know. But I just have a feeling she will open up to him soon anyway. And when that happens, I want him to be honest with his feelings and not push her away like an idiot"

 _ **Started a new Little fic :3 Hope you guys like it. Do leave a comment on what you though and follow, and maybe if you want to give suggestions on where to take this story :D I mean, It's Always fun if you want to contribute with ideas and such :D )**_


	2. The attacker

_**The attacker**_

Ayano was by the river, training by herself. The manoeuvring gear was still a bit hard for her to grasp. The gear was essential for fighting titans. Thanks to their sice, humans needed these devices to be able to reach the nape of their neck and cut it off, the only thing that could kill them.  
It came to good use with vampires as well, since vampires speed made them very dangerous. With the gear, the chance to get away, or move and turn very fast and cut them dead was possible. It was very hard to kill a vampire as well. A strike to the heart was usually the most effective way to kill them. Strange given that their hearts didn't beat at all.

She sighed and leaned against a tree, closing her eyes. It was much harder to use the device then she first thought. Even if she had her training behind her, it was still some things she just didn't feel comfortable with when using it. And she didn't know how to make it feel better.  
"You are trying to have too much control. Thus you work against the manoeuvring gear. You need to let the device carry you once you decided where to go. Just let your body follow. It's not going to work well if you are too tense" A voice woke her up from her daydreaming and her heart started to beat like crazy, as always when he was near.  
"L...Levi. I...I mean captain!" She stuttered and did the salute. To her surprise, he actually let out a chuckle, and when he looked up, a small smile was visible on his marble like face.  
"You have the wrong hand"  
Ayano looked down and quickly changed hand while blushing madly.  
"S...sorry"  
"Don't worry about it. Not like it's a big deal" She blushed again and looked down on the grass.  
"I'm kind of bad at this, right?. I mean, I will never be as good as you of course. You're practically flying with these things. But I want to at least be a little bit better"  
"Then try to do as I suggested Ayano. Besides, I am not really… good. It's just my natural reflexes or something I guess. You should not compare yourself to others anyway" She gave him a thankful smile. Her heart had jumped when she heard him say her name.  
"I swear I'm going to have a heart attack one of these days if this is going to continue whenever he is near" She thought to herself once he told her good bye and headed to wherever he was called to be. She wished she could have followed him and talk some more.  
Ayano took a deep breath, relaxed and did as Levi had told her. Not that it was easy to empty her brain after he had showed himself to her.  
She fired the hook up towards a nearby tree, and got dragged upwards towards it. Her body relaxed and she just let the device do the rest and it kind of worked. She didn't feel as uncomfortable any longer when doing that.

When she was done with training, she decided to look for someone who wanted to follow her to the nearby town. She needed to buy some new clothes. Ayano liked the survey corps uniform, but when she was not on duty, she still wanted something more fitting to wear for a normal day. Of course she had that kind of clothes already. It was not like anyone walked with their uniform all day. Only when training or out on a mission. But a few more everyday clothes wouldn't hurt, just to have some more options.  
Apparently no one was interested, so she decided she might as well go there by herself.  
Ayno took a shower, put on a white summer dress and a white ribbon in her black hair to match it. She looked at herself in the mirror with her amber eyes, until she decided that she looked good enough and headed out.

The town was not all that lively today, and she was happy not having to push trough a lot of people.  
She moved her bangs out of the way and looked up at the sun. It was a really nice and warm day.

Once she had found a few nice things tp buy, she decided to head down a little alleyway where she never had been before. But suddenly, the atmosphere seemed to change. It got colder, and she could not see any people around. She looked around to find at least someone, but it was all empty and quiet. The narrow houses where no one seemed to be living in was the only thing she could see.  
Suddenly she noticed a long, slender male walking towards her. She sighed in relief and went up to him while talking.  
"I'm sorry, but could you please tell me where I am. I seem to have gotten myself lost" She chuckled. The man gave her a small smile, but didn't look up at her, making her unable to actually see his eyes or face. He also wore a hat that made it a bit harder to make out his face as well.  
"E...excuse me?" She said when the man didn't seem to give her an answer. He just stood there like a creep. Maybe he was drunk, or on drugs or something.  
"I think I should just go and try to find the way myself" She said in a way to ease her worry, and make sure that the man understood that she no longer wanted his help.  
"Oh, I don't think so" A strange, dark, almost inhuman voice said. Suddenly the man looked up at her with a sinister smile. But that was not the worst, It was his eyes who was glowing in red, and the fangs that he blotted. It was a vampire! And Ayano was not at all equipped to fight one at the moment.  
She screamed, but the man lifted her up like she was nothing more then a rag doll and threw her into the closest wall. She felt her head hit it hard. Blood started to leave the just inflicted wound in her head and down her face, clouding her eyes in red.  
The vampire picked her up, locking her eyes with his. Suddenly Ayano feel an overwhelming tiredness, and her body went limp.  
"You smell so good" He said in that creepy, none human voice. She could tell how he was moving towards her neck. She wanted to resist, but the blow to her head, and his strange hypnotizing gaze from just seconds ago made her unable to even move a muscle, less alone scream for help.

Suddenly the pressure form the man holding her up in the air disappeared, and Ayano fell down to the ground. With her blurred vision she could make out the back of someone she would always recognise. Levi!  
She could suddenly hear a hissing noise close by. The male vampire answers with the same sound. Ayano felt how she started to drift off, until everything went dark.

Levi could smell her blood from miles away. He had been in town for an errand when he first had noticed it, All he could do was pray that he wasn't too late. Why was Ayano in town anyway?  
He didn't really know what happened next. He must have screamed out a "No!" Or something when he saw the stranger vampire just about to bite into Ayanos neck. With an inhuman speed he tackles down the vampire, making him drop Ayano in surprise. Levi gave off a warning hiss, but the male vampire hisses back, showing that it wasn't going to back away from its pray for another vampire.  
The other vampire attacked first. It launched towards Levi with its admirable speed, but Levi still had a bit of sanity left that the other vampire did not, making him able to think a bit more logically. The other vampire was clearly only driven by hunger. It was strong, but he was still stronger. While in close combat, Levi manage to bring forth a silver dagger, and stabbed the other vampire, right in the heart. It gave him a confused look, not ready for the sudden pain, before Its body went limp as it took its final breath.  
Levi worriedly turns towards Ayano's body.

Levi started to breathe heavily. It was first now that the scent hit him full force. Her scent. Ayano's blood had formed a red little puddle beside her, and he could feel how his body begins to shake in a try to restrain himself. He tried to think clearly, but his mind was clouded by her blood. Outside of her body it was so much stronger, and his mind told him that he wanted it all.  
He could feel the sharp teeth coming out and tried to cover his nose with his arms, but to no use, The scent was all too strong.

Once Levi manage to collect himself as much as he ever would be able to for the time being, he growled a curse, but manage to get Aynos arm over his shoulder, and got her up. He did his best to avoid any public places, not wanting anyone to stop them and ask what had happened. Then they would surely see what he really was. And a mob chasing him was the last thing he wanted at the moment.  
He made sure to cover as much of her body as possible with the black cloak the hostile vampire had been wearing, thus all her blood wouldn't bee as visible. It would only look as if he maybe helped his drunken girlfriend home.

He luckily managed to make it to the headquarter. Once there, he fell down to his knees outside the training ground while still holding a tight grip of Ayano. A group of people quickly gathered, he couldn't really make out who they where. Must be her friends. Yes, he could recognizes some of the voices, like Eren, and Armin.  
"What's going on here?" A female voice suddenly shouted. At leats he could tell it was Hange.

When Hange noticed Levi and Ayano, she quickly pushes away some of the crowd and made her way towards them. Erwin was not far behind her as well. They had been talking about some things when they noticed the commotion.  
"God Levi? What has happen...? " She stopped when she cought a glimpse of his face.  
"S...she was attacked by a vampire. She… Needs help" Levi managed to get out, feeling that his control soon would disappear. There where too many people around for his liking, especially since Ayanos blood was still affecting him greatly. It had been a complete willpower not to lose the internal battle going on inside of him while carry her back to safety.  
Hange gave him a nod to show him that she understood.  
"Erwin, take care of Ayano" The blonde quickly took Ayano from Levi while Hange helped him up, making sure to cover his face from the crowd with her body.  
"N...No… Need to make sure she's… okay" He protested while Hange started to take him back towards his office.  
"You won't be of any help to her if you loose yourself and go all berserk here. Just look at you. Your eyes are red as blood and your fangs are showing. You look about to snap at any minute. Be glad you held your face down so that no one else could see you"

When they got closer to the office, Levi pushed her away.  
"I… I can manage from here. I just need to take a shower and drink a bottle and I'll be fine" Hange shot him a worried look.  
"You sure? I can follow you inside and make sure you're fine" She made a try to move closer to him when it looked like he would fall down again, but he raised a hand for her to stay.  
"Don't. I'm not sure how much more I can handle. If you don't wanna get hurt by me, you better leave. And make sure Ayano didn't get bitten" Hange chuckled.  
"It would be kind of cool if you would bite me! Then I might be able to see for myself what happens with the body when a person does turn"  
"You'll be in so much fucking pain that you won't be able to think anything at all. All you want to do is scream. I should now since I've been trough that shit. So, It's not damn likely you would be able to do a research while you go through that. Take something serious for once"  
"Right right, I was just kidding okay. Fine, if you're sure you can handle yourself, then I'll go. And I'll make sure Ayano is okay. Just one more question. I never really asked you how you can keep calm around titan blood?" Levi who had turned his back to her and opened the door to his office turned around to look at her once again. Hange couldn't stop her fascination over how much different he looked with his eyes and fags like that.  
"You seen titan blood right? It's hot as hell. Try to drink that, and your insides would burn up completely. And it smells like shit as well, so it doesn't even affect me the slightest"  
Hange could tell how Levi's eyes had gone even darker red, and how he did the best he could to keep himself from loosing it.  
"Good. Come see me when you feel better, and I can tell you about how Ayano is doing"  
Before Levi closed the door, she could swear she head a faint "Thank you", making her once again smile before heading to Erwin and Ayano.  
Hange prayed that the girl hadn't been bitten, for all their sake. She didn't want to end the girl.

 ** _(Next chapter up guys ;) Once again I hope you liked it :3 Not much more to say for now, see you guys in the next chapter! Take care. Love you all 3 )_**


	3. Strong Feelings

**_Strong feelings:_**

 _ **(Next part of the fick is here :D Hope you all will like it :3 )**_

Hange looked up at Erwin with a serious face.

"How is she doing?" Erwin looked back at her.

"Stable for now. Her heart beats as it should and her pulse is working just fine" Hange gave him a happy smile.

"Good. And I could not find any bite marks on her as well. She is safe. The only thing we need to do is tend to her head wound, letting her rest for a couple of days and she should be as good as new"

Hange felt happy that she could give Levi good news instead of bad once.

After washing of the blood in the shower, and drinking one of the bottles of blood Hange had provided him Levi felt back in control once again. He left the office to look for Hange, whom he found pretty fast.

"How's Ayano?" Was the first thing he asked her.

"She is just fine. No bite marks at all. The only bad thing is that head wound. But she will just need to rest for some days and it won't be a problem. She should soon regain her consciousness if you want to see her"

Levi drew a sigh of relief.

"That's good. At least I know that she is fine then. I should head back to work. By the way, no one saw me like that, did they?" Hange shook her head.

"No. Some of the cadets came to ask if you had been bitten, since you where is such a bad shape. But I told them that you where fine and just needed some rest after fighting the vampire. Oh, and Erwin wanted to meet you. Had something he wanted to talk about"

He thanked her for covering for him and then went to Erwins office.

Erwin met him with a small smile once he came inside the commanders well kept room. He was studying a map he had put on the table.

"Glad to see you're feeling better Levi. I wanted to talk to you. We are going to conduct an outside the wall mission in three days. Think you can get your squad to head to the dining hall later this evening so that I can go through the plan with you all?"

Levi nodded.

"Of course. I'll make sure my squad and I will be there. Anything else?"

"No, that was all for now"

He surely didn't feel like leaving outside the wall at the moment. But he would never disobey Erwin as long as there was no good reason to. And the missions where after all in favour for humanity, even if it could, and definitely would lead to many casualties, it was worth it in the end. At least he hoped it would be.

About two hours later Hange came to get Levi. She told him that Ayano was finally awake, and she wanted to see him. Levi quickly made his way to the room where she was resting. He wasn't sure why she had called for him, but he hoped it was nothing bad. Maybe she wanted to ask him about the attack. Words mush have gotten to her that he had been there when it happened.

When he entered the room is smelled like her. Like lavender and vanilla. It was a smell he had come to love. Not that he ever would admit it.

The gauze bandage still didn't manage to erase all the blood smell coming from her head, but it was definitely more bearable for him to be around her then before. It was wrapped tight, and no blood had leaked through it yet. Hange sure did her job well.

"You called for me?" He asked and sat down on a wooden chair beside her bed. She gave him a small smile.

"Yes. I remembered that you who saved me back there, and I wanted to say thank you. I surely was stupid. I should not have left without a silver dagger or something of that sort at least" She blushed and looked down.

He couldn't blame her. Usually people where safe from vampires as long as they stayed with the crowd and didn't go to isolated parts of town. That's when they where easy pray, since vampires usually didn't like to show themselves around too many people.

"It's fine. I'm just happy you didn't get bitten. And it was a very good thing I had some errands in town. Otherwise things could have ended badly. Anyway, you don't need to thank me. Anyone here would have done the same. You just relax, and once we've come back from the mission I'm sure you'll feel much better"

Ayano gave him a worried look.

"Mission? Are you going outside the wall" He gave her a nod.

"Yes, In three days. Erwin will talk about it later this evening"

"Then let me come as well! I'll also go outside!" She tried to get up. Levi gave her a stern look.

"Like that? Then we might as well feed you to the titans right now and get it over with" It was really stupid of her to even think about such a thing in that condition. She clearly was still pale and in pain. What she needed was a very good and long rest.

"But I don't want to lay here all useless while you and the others are risking your lives!"

It was a bit funny seeing her worry so much about his life. He was safer then any other going outside the wall because of him being a vampire. It would take quite much before he would go down. Especially by a stupid titan. Humans would be much more of a threat.

"You absolutely don't have to worry about me. And the others know what they get themselves into. Everyone here does, so I don't think you should worry your head about stuff like that. And with Eren who can shift to a titan at will and fight for humanity, we can finally maybe get somewhere. We can't waste such an opportunity. You would anyway be of no help at all like this. Or do you want me having to save your ass again?"

She couldn't help but chuckled.

"I guess not"

Levi sighed and tried to hide a smile. He looked at her and felt something he almost had forgotten how it felt like. She was beautiful. Even in this beaten up state. Her tanned skin, and her big amber coloured eyes, and that black hair framing her pretty heart shaped face.

He knew that it was no chance he would ever be able to tell her that, even if he had wanted to.

She was painfully aware how Levi's grey eyes was looking at her. She tried to meet them with her amber once, but ended up looking down or at something else once she felt it too hard to continue looking at him. Her heart was beating fast again. He was perfect in every way. His flawless skin, his black hair styled in an undercut, yes everything. For the day he was dressed in only a white shirt and black pains, which only made him look even hotter.

"Well, I guess I should go. I have some work to take care of before talking with Erwin. Call me if you need anything" He was about to leave, but without thinking, she gripped his hand. He turned around with a confused and surprised look.

"P…Please. Don't go Levi. I...I..." She blushed, and this time she couldn't hide her face well. She felt such an urge to tell him how she felt. If the mission would end bad, and he would die, she would never be able to live with herself knowing that she never even tried to take the chance to open up her heart to him.

If Levi would have had a working heart, he was sure it would beat like crazy. He knew what would come, and he didn't like it. He could tell by how her heart was beating harder and faster then ever. He would hate to turn her down, especially since he, If truth be told, liked her really much as well. But ever since he turned into a vampire, he had known that love would never be something for him. He would never be so selfish and risk someone else life. Even if he could control himself most of the time, there was a part of him that he could never trust. A part that scared him.

"I need to go Ayano. Can it wait till later?"

She shook her head and he knew he was trapped. There was no way he could escape this.

She took a deep breath.

"Listen. There is something I wanted to tell you" There was that deep breath again. He could tell it was hard for her, but it was also hard for him. He wanted her to just say it and get it over with. He didn't want to drag out the unavoidable.

"Yes?" He said, hoping that it would give her the courage to just say it.

"I love you Levi"

He was silent for a while, not knowing what was the best way to turn her down would be. She was looking nervous, waiting for his answer.

The wait felt like hours. Every second was a pain. Maybe it had been stupid of her to actually tell him. After all, he was known to have turned down every girl who ever had gotten close to him. But she hoped with all her heart that she would be an exception. After all she had never seen him smile to any other then her, and that should be a good sign. At least she hoped it was.

"Ayano… There are many others out there who would be much better suited for you. Don't waste time on someone like me. After all, I am your superior, and that's where the line should be drawn" She felt her heart sink. Could he really mean that?

"I don't care about that. I can still love you. And I think I should be the one to decide who is best suited for me"

She couldn't help but notice that he hadn't really said a clear no. Maybe if she tried a little bit harder.

"Well I do care. You should just forget about me okay? I'm no good for you anyway, trust me"

She felt her heart rise again and she lifted herself up to his level, placed a hand on his cheek and leaned into a kiss.

Her heart fluttered as their lips met. His was cold, but soft. His chin was cold as well, but that only felt good against her fever hot skin.

The surprise caught him of guard. He had not expected her to do something that bold. He could feel her soft and warm lips against his. When his mind could comprehend what was happening, he quickly backed away, eyes wide.

"Levi, I...I'm sorry"

Ayano gave him a worried look, afraid that she had taken it too far.

"Why…?" was all he could say before turning around and quickly leave the room. This was all too much for him to take in. Why did she have to make things so hard? Why couldn't she just have accepted what he had said?

His mind was filled with the sweet kiss, and the thought of how much he had wanted to answer it, how much he had wanted to hold her close in his arms. But there was also the other part of him. The part that had heard the fast heartbeat, and the pulse, taunting him with every beat. The pulse he wanted to sink his teeth into, and drain from all the warm red blood. The part which was the cause he would never be able to answer her feelings. He couldn't allow her to break the walls he had build around himself. He needed those walls to protect himself and others.

"Don't forget what you are" He whispered to himself as Levi made his way back to the office. Surely he would not be able to focus on work, or what Erwin would be saying about the mission later on.

He closed the door after him, sat down on the chair and tilted his head backwards with a deep sigh. After sitting like that for a while, he decided to do some training outside. Training was a good way to keep his mind sharp, and for a while forget things.


	4. Going outside

**_(Now next chapter is up ;) Hope you'll like it :D)_**

"Does everyone understand their part?" Erwin asked those who had gathered at the meeting.

"Yes sir" They said and saluted.

Levi sighed. He was happy that the meeting was finally over. As he had though, it had been hard to concentrate on anything.

Petra, a cute, blond girl from his squad walked up to him.

"Captain, should we really entrust so much on Eren? I mean, he still has not fully learned to control his titan form yet. What if something goes wrong?" Levi turned to her and met her light brown eyes.

"If Erwin trust him enough, so will I. And we should not focus on the worst case scenario. If you trust me, then trust Erwin and Eren as well"

Petra though for a little while, then nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I do trust you. I will be positive" She gave him a warm smile. He was at least happy that her feelings was towards another man, Oluo. He was also part of the Levi squad. Levi couldn't help but find it amusing how much the man tried to be like him, even if he failed miserably. His hair was even styled In an undercut, even though it was in a grey, blondish colour. Oluou had a tendency to bite his tongue a lot, being the klutz that he is. But he still was a very skilled soldier, that had Levi's respect.

Levi knew that even if Petra gave Oluo a hard time, she did like him very much. There is many things a persons heartbeat can tell you. And Levi was more then happy that Petras feelings towards him was purely respect and a trusting friendship. Levi had made sure to only let people he trusted, and had skills be a part of his squad. Being in custody of Eren was only because he refused to let the inside military police butcher the poor boy.

The military police was those who was most prestigious. The kings guard. He sure didn't trust any of them. The garrison, another branch had also been all to quick in thinking that killing Eren was the best option. The garrisons duty was to make sure order was maintained inside the wall. Levi had no respect for them at all. The military police, nor the garrison would ever be able to stand ground against titans. Most of them had never even seen one in real life. Sure, they could at least kill vampires, but that was all they where good for. Most of them where drunk bastards anyway.

Once they exited the room Eren came up to Levi with a serious face.

"This will truly be my first mission outside the wall. I will lay my life in you and your squads hands. But it does not seem like Petra believes in me. Nor does the others" Levi placed a hand on Eren's shoulder.

"Listen here. They are afraid. You have powers that no one, not even you truly understands. But I know you want to do good for humanity, and thus, at least you should trust in yourself. If you are afraid of loosing control, then you will. But if you trust yourself, and just try to do your best, I am sure you will do just fine"

Eren didn't look completely convinced. His green eyes reflected how scared he was. He placed a hand behind his messy brown hair.

"But what if I would hurt someone? I mean I know I did tell everyone to put their trust in me, and I will do what I can. But I don't want to end up hurting anyone"

"Neither do I, but sometimes it can't be helped. Have faith in yourself Eren. After all, you might be the one who can save humanity. That's why we do all this. Beside, Hange and I will help you all we can until we figured everything out"

Eren sighed, but then once again got that determinant look in his eyes.

"Yes captain, thank you for getting my spirit back"

The young boy got a cocky smile on his face as he walked away.

 _ **Two days later:**_

"I am so glad that you are okay Aya! We thought we had lost you!" Sasha, the brown haired pony tale girl shouted as she embraced Ayano in a warm hug. She chuckled and hugged her back. Most of Ayano's friends had come to visit. It had now been two days since she had started her recovery, and she did feel a bit dizzy if she moved her head too fast sometimes, so it was clear to her that she still needed a bit more time to feel completely like herself again.

"All thanks to captain Levi" She smiled, but felt a small sting in her heart. He had not came to talk to her after the last time, when she had confessed her feelings. And tomorrow he would be going out on that mission with Eren and the others, and she would not be allowed to follow them. Even Hange would go. But she had made sure to have someone look after Ayano while she was gone.

"Oh, yeah. Glad to see that he is feeling fine as well" Sasha said, interrupting her thoughts,

Ayano gave Sasha a look.

"Feeling well? Has he been ill?" Sasha shook her head.

"No, but when he came back with you here after saving you, he didn't look too good. We couldn't see his face, but he fell down on one knee and seemed to be in pain or something. He at least had a hard time standing up. We all where worried that he might have been injured or something, but Hange assured us he was fine. She took him away, so she must have checked him"

Ayano immediately got even more worried. But something was strange. He had looked completely fine once she had woken up and had talked to him, so how come he had been like that? She had seen him fight. It would take more then a fight with a vampire to get him deathly tired. He never seemed tired after a mission which must be much more draining, giving that the titans where so many, and so big.

Eren's word came into her mind, he saying that Levi might be a vampire. It must have been a lot of blood from her that day. She shook her head. It was silly of her to think such a thing, She decided to focus son something else.

"I'm sorry you can't come with us tomorrow" Eren said. He knew how much she wanted to.

"It's not like I'm in squad Levi. I would only worry myself half to death anyway" She sighed, looking down.

"I don't see why you worry. I mean have you seen that beast fight? I feel like there is no titan, or vampire, that can bring him down" Eren assured, trying to make his friend feel a bit better.

Mikasa didn't look especially pleased herself.

"I don't like that I can't be in the same squad as you Eren. I don't want us to be separated" Her gloomy, grey eyes was giving him a small worried look.

Ayano could understand her. Mikasa and Eren where not really brothers and sisters, even if she had been living together with the Yeager family since her family had been brutally murdered many years ago, so Mikasa still considered him as a brother. And as his sister, she was very worried. Finding out about Eren's titan power only added to all the worried she had about him.

"Mikasa, Don't worry. They needed you in another squad, and we should listen to our superiors. I am sure I can handle myself. Beside, I have Levi and his squad, so I am in good hands"

It didn't seem to make Mikasa less worried, but she didn't have the energy to continue something fruitless. Mikasa knew she wouldn't get Eren to agree on talking to Levi if it was fine for her to be with their team instead.

The night came, and Ayano had a hard time sleeping. She was worried for tomorrow. She wished she had been able to tag along as well.

Ayano got up from her bed. She was thirsty, and she didn't want to wake anyone up just to get her sine water. It was time for her to try and walk at least.

It went well. Her head was spinning a little, but over all she felt like she could handle it.

She passed Levi's office and noticed the light of a candle shining through the door cracks. She wondered what he was doing up this late. He needed to be well slept for the mission in the morning. She slowly opened the door.

"C...captain?" She almost whispered.

He looked up from his paperwork. The candle was casting a shadow on his pale face.

"Yes Ayano? What are you doing up? Shouldn't you be in bed sleeping and recover?"

The kiss came back to her mind in full force, making her cheeks turn red.

"I was thirsty, and then I saw that you where still up. I need to talk to you about… you know, before"

Levi sighed, placed the paper back down on his desk and crossed his fingers, leaning his chin against them.

"There is nothing to talk about. You had a fever and let it get to you, I understand. And my answer is still the same. I can't, and won't answer those feelings. I am sorry of you wished for another answer, but that's how it is"

Ayano lowered her head. Of course she couldn't make the captain lover her. She had hoped for something impossible anyway. She had been a fool for letting her dream cloud the truth.

"Yes, I understand Captain Levi. You should go to bed yourself by the way. You have a mission tomorrow and need to be well rested. And please…. Be careful" The last word, she whispered before heading out of his office.

Once she got back in bed Ayano picked up a book and started to read. It was the study book about vampires that everyone had to read in school. She got to a side with a huge bat-like creature. The vampires other form. They had two. One that looked like a normal human, and one that was more like a monster from the pits of hell, like it was depicted in the book.

This form was rare to see. Usually vampires where killed before taking such a form. Not many had seen them. The book only said that no one knew how or why they could turn to these kinds of creatures. No one had been able to get close enough to do any study about it. The only thing that was known was that a vampire in that state, was even more deadly then when in their human forms. She turned the page and tried to learn as much as she possibly could. She had already read the book. But it was important to know what humans where up against. She had also read a lot about titans.

Ayano could finally feel how she got more and more tired the more she was reading. She closed the book and placed it on her night stand before shifting to her side and soon fell asleep. She was still worried about tomorrow, but there was nothing she could do. She was not in any condition to fight titans. She had at least been promised that she would be allowed to get to the gate and see them all off. A nurse would taker her in a wheelchair. It felt a bit too much with a wheelchair, but Ayano would take it if that meant she would be able to see them one last time before heading out.

Once the morning arrived the nurse came and got her out of bed.

It was quite a long way to the outer gate that divided humans from titans. It was a sunny day and Ayano felt it nice being outside and breath the fresh air again. She did not have a hurry. Even though she wished that she could have walked herself without the nurse and wheelchair. But she was happy for the chance to see everyone off. She could only wish for all of them to be safe.

Once they arrived at the gate the survey corpse had already assembled. She could see their serious faces. Ayano could make out the Levi squad with Eren in the middle. Probably for protection once they ventured outside. She then noticed the rest of her friends further back. Ayano could see Mikasa's worried look as she tried to spot Eren somewhere, but he was too far away for her to see him. He was covered by the other scouts.

It felt wrong for Ayano to be a bystander. She should have been a part of it all as well. She cursed her clumsiness. It was all because she had been attacked.

The gates slowly started to open. Erwin in the front waited to give the orders to move. They needed to be quick in case any titan would be nearby.

When the door was open enough, Erwin raised his sword and gave his command. The horses started to move in union until they began to split up once leaving the interior of the wall.

Now they where outside, left in the mercy of luck.

The gates began to close up again, and the crowd that had seen the scouts off began to split up. Everyone going to their everyday choirs. As long as the wall protected them, they at least didn't have to worry about the titans.


	5. Death and sorrow

_**Death and sorrow**_

Ayano yawned and felt much better then before after a good nights sleep. Today she could probably start to walk around the place by herself without having anyone worry about her. The scouts had been gone for two days, and she felt worried and restless, making it hard to stay in bed. All she wanted was for them to come back. She ate breakfast from the tray that someone had placed on her night stand before she decided to read for a little bit.

The nurse Hange had put to work guarding Ayano came in to check on her.  
"Is it okay for me to leave this place today? I am tired of just sitting around doing nothing. And I do feel much better now. Please?" Ayano made sure to put on her most cheery voice as the older woman took of the gauze bandage of Ayanos head.  
"I can tell that the wound has healed up pretty nicely. I guess I can allow you to leave. But please, be careful for a while. I rather not see you here again any time soon" The nurse smiled at her. Ayano smiled back.  
"I will try not to" She chuckled, feeling happy that she finally would be able to leave the bed.

After dinner Ayano was just about to head back out to the barracks when she spotted someone familiar. She rushed up to the person and hugged her.  
"Hange! You guys are back!" She though it was strange that she hadn't seen them during dinner if they had gotten back safe and sound. Hange gave her a surprised look because of the sudden hug, before nodding slowly.  
"Yes we are. Came back about half an hour ago. I see you are back up and running as well. I'm glad" Ayano noticed that the smile was a forced one. And her voice was not as cheery as usual.  
"Is, is everything okay?" Hange sighed and leaned against the wall.  
"Not really. Things didn't go as planned. The enemy was too strong"  
"Enemy?" Ayano gave her a confused look.  
"After all that happened, we suspected that someone was after Eren, someone like himself. A titan shifter. So, we lied some about this mission, hoping that we could lure that person out. And we did. She had a titan form that looked female, that's why I call her a she. Anyway, we though we could capture her, and reveal who it is. Sadly, we didn't manage to do so. She escaped from our traps in a… very sick way. Even I got a bit disgusted. She then… wiped out the whole Levi squad, and manage to take Eren"  
Hange must have noticed Ayano go sickly pale, because she quickly continued.  
"Levi was with us when we tried to capture her, so he is fine. And he also manage to save Eren with the help of Mikasa, thank heavens. But we had some great losses"  
Ayano looked at the woman horrified. She hadn't met the people of the Levi squad many times at all. But they had a reputation to be among the strongest soldiers the humanity had. And now, they where gone. She could only imagine what Levi must feel.  
"W...where is Levi?" She asked carefully.  
"In his room. But I wouldn't suggest you to go see him right no..." She didn't end the sentence before Ayano already was on her way to the captains office. He might not love her, but she still knew him well enough. Maybe better then he knew himself. She could see in his eyes that he was someone who wore the pain on the inside, and didn't care to open up to anyone, even if he should. Opening up to someone would make him feel better. She knew that no one should bottle up their feelings inside. That was not good. Sooner or later it would end with an explosion.

She knocked, but no one was answering. She took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. The room was quite dark. But she could see that the captain was turned with his back against her, looking out from the window.  
"L...Levi?" She stuttered, moving a bit closer.  
"Get out" His voice was cold, and demanded her obedience. And he didn't move a muscle, still locking his gaze on the outside. The tone of his voice made her want to obey him. But she wouldn't give up that easily.  
"I heard what happened. I just wanted to make sure you're okay. After all, they where your close friends and..."  
"Didn't I tell you to get out? I am just fine, so leave. There is no need for you to be here" Now his voice sounded annoyed, and he turned his dark gaze at her. There was something off about it, bur she didn't know what. Ayano decided not to listen to his demand once again. His eyes told her that it was not a good idea to leave him alone. Even if he would never admit it, he needed her right now, to cope with what had happened.  
"Don't think I don't know what you are doing. You are planning to stay here and drown in your feelings all alone until you can bottle them up completely, so that you can pretend that you are all fine once you get back out there. I am sure that's what you've always done! But you should't hold everything inside. One day it will explode. You might not love me back, but at least let me be there as a friend that cares!"  
He quickly closed the distance between them, lifting her up by the collar. Not too hard, but hard enough to make her get the message.  
"Don't fucking pretend that you know shit about me! And why would I care? They where soldiers, they knew what they got themselves into"  
She just looked at him with stern eyes, not letting him scare her away. That was what he wanted, and she would not give him that pleasure. He might say those cold words, but she could see in his eyes that he did care. He cared a whole lot, and it was eating him up.  
"You say that, but is it really what you think? I have a hard time believing you when your eyes tells me something else"  
"J...just shut up will you" He turned his face away from her, but she could tell that small tears or rage and sorrow was quietly making their way from his eyes, even if he had backed away from her a little bit, to hide that fact. He had probably never cried in front of anyone for god knows how many years. And she could tell that he didn't want her to see him doing it now either.  
She bite her lips in frustration before reaching for the papers on his writing desk, waving them towards his face.  
"So what? You just going back to these idiotic paperworks and pretend that nothing happened? That everything is fine even though you are actually not? Instead of opening up to me and be honest with yourself?"

Levi slapped the papers out of her hand, spreading them everywhere in the room. She gasped in surprise when the paper cut her finger, resulting in a quite deep cut.  
"Damn it" She cursed to herself when the dull pain from the cut kicked in. It was of course not that bad. She had gotten paper cuts a few times before, so no big deal. It was just so annoying.  
When she looked up at Levi she opened her mouth slightly in surprise. His body was really stiff, and his eyes didn't leave the cut on her finger.  
"Levi what's wro..." She stopped herself when she noticed his eyes. They had taken a blood red colour.  
"L...Levi?" She slowly started to back away.

With an inhuman force Levi pushed her against the wall, making her stuck between the wall and him, without being able to run away. He was too strong. No matter how much she tried to struggle for him to lose his grip on her, it was to no use. She could feel how the panic took over her. So Eren had been right after all when he told them about the rumours? Levi really was a vampire? Some parts of her still didn't want to believe it. But this was surely not a dream of hers. It felt too real. And now, he would surely kill her. She didn't dare scream for help. It was not like her voice would obey her anyway. She was too scared. And even if someone would hear her, it would be too late. Vampires where fast creatures. He would be quick in killing her.

She closed her eyes in fear. All she could do was to wait for that moment of sharp pain when his fangs would pierce her neck.  
"P...please Levi, let me go. I don't want to die like this. I beg you, let me go" She plead with a weak voice and her eyes still closed, knowing that he wouldn't listen. It was silly of her to even try.

After what felt like an eternity, but must have only been seconds, the grip on her shoulders lightened. Her body was still shaking, but she dared to slightly open her eyes, being too curious and surprised to why his grip on her had lightened.

 ** _(Next chapter out :3 I am sorry I took so long. But have been short on time and inspiration :D Do leave a comment and heart if you'd like :3 I Always love to hear your thoughts. See you all in the next chapter)_**


	6. I love you

_**I love you**_

Ayano opened her eyes fully and looked at the man in front of her. His eyes where still glowing in red. But he had now let go of her completely, with hands that where shaking by the power it took for him to try and regain his control.  
Her body was shaking as well, but in fear. When he let her go and backed away, she rested her head towards the wall, almost falling to a sitting position, not able to move. She was in shock.  
After a few minutes, Levi seemed to get a grip on himself. She could see that his eyes got their normal colour back. Once he calmed down, he turned his eyes back to her. They where as terrified as hers must be.

He had almost done it! He had almost killed her! If not her voice would have reached him…  
Levi didn't even want to think about it. Just the thought made him sick.  
He looked at her small, trembling body on the floor. Her eyes. They told him how scared she was, scared of him. He couldn't blame her. After all he was as well. How could he have been so stupid to let his emotions get the better of him like that. It was so unlike him.  
A sudden feeling of suffocation washed over him. He had to get away, and fast. He could not stay. But where would he go? And wasn't it better to stay? If she would tell everyone, they would surely hunt him down and kill him. That might be for the best. Yes, he had to stay and take what was coming. He deserved that after all. He had almost killed her. There was no excuse for that.  
He knew what had to be done.

He slowly walked towards the drawer, picked out the silver dagger he always had close by and gently threw it towards Ayano, who still hadn't gotten up, but instead was trying to wrap a peace of fabric around her finger. Probably to stop the smell from triggering him.  
When she heard the thud of the dagger she looked up at it in surprise, and then looked at Levi.  
"Do it. Don't be scared. I won't fight back at all. Before you tell the rest of the scouts, I would rather end by your hands if anyone. I am so sorry. This should never had happened. I wish I could be the one you first thought me to be"  
She opened her mouth in surprised, looking at him once again with big, scared eyes.  
"W...what? I...I"  
When she didn't seem to do anything, Levi walked up to the dagger and picked it up. He then crouched down beside her, and placed it in her hands, with the edge turned towards his hart.

When she seemed to almost drop the dagger, he took her hands and held them steady in place.  
"Come on, just do it. No one would hold it against you after all. I'm just a monster and an idiot. I couldn't even save them. If I had stayed by their side I could have..." He turned his head down, still holding Ayano's hand, forcing her to point the dagger towards his heart.  
Her fear suddenly faded a little. When she looked at him at that moment, he was just Levi. The one she had come to know and admire.  
She opened her hand to that the dagger fell back down to the floor. When the man looked at it in surprise, she placed a hand under his chin, forcing him to look up at her. She could see his eyes glossy of repressed tears. She didn't even knew vampires could cry, or feel. That was beyond what they learned. And last time she checked, monsters did not try to hold back their feelings like this.

It all became clear to her why he had kept himself so distant. It was not because he didn't like her, but because he was afraid. Afraid to hurt her and others. That's why he had not turned her down completely when she confessed her feelings.  
She suddenly embraced him, burying her face against his chest, letting her tears fall.  
"How could I ever do something like that idiot!"  
She didn't care if his shirt would get all wet because of her tears. She just needed to make sure she could feel safe around him again. She just needed him to allow her to stay by his side like this for a moment.  
Levi hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, answering to the hug. He couldn't understand how she could hug him now, after knowing his secret that he had tried to keep hidden to the best of his abilities.  
"But I am a vampire. Your mission is to kill creatures like me. That's what you've been trained for. Don't be an idiot and just do it! Or else It might end up badly one day. And then you'll regret letting me live. I was even forcing you to point that dagger at me. It won't get much more easier to kill someone than that"  
She looked up at his stern eyes, scared about his determination to die by her hand.  
"It's cruel! Forcing me to kill the one I love" She held him even closer, as if she was afraid he would disappear if she let go for even a second.  
"Love? Don't be naive now. How could you love me after knowing this? I could so easily kill you" She looked up at him with her tear drenched face.  
"If you wanted to kill me you would have done so by now. You came back to your senses for my sake. A true monster wouldn't do that"  
"I couldn't even save my squad"  
"That is not your fault! You can't predict the future. There was no way you could know that things would end like that. Don't blame yourself for something you couldn't prevent. I know that it's not easy, but they wouldn't want you to blame yourself for sure! And you did save Eren didn't you? Doesn't that count for anything?" He looked down again, but nodded.  
"I'm glad he is fine. At least thanks to that I can die with no regrets"  
She looked at him. Now it was her turn to have the stern eyes.  
"I won't kill you Levi!" She shouted.  
"And why not? I'm not even meant to be here anyway! I'm practically a corpse walking! I have already killed countless people because of what I am, and I can never promise that it won't happen again. One wrong move is all it takes" She sighed and cupped his face.  
"Would you shut up this time? I said I won't kill you, and I won't tell anyone. That's because I trust and love you. Please, don't take my feelings for stupidity captain"  
She leaned in and kissed him gently. His eyes widened.

He tried to get away, but after a few seconds he could do nothing more but to relax in her kiss. He couldn't help it. Her fingers gently burying themselves in his hair, her soft lips, her intoxicating smell. It was all too much for him to resist any more. So he answered to her kiss against better judgement.  
He could tell how her heart was raising. Surely his would have too, if it would have worked.

Hange closed the captains door with a sigh and a small smile playing on her lips, taking away the dagger she had been holding in her hands, ready to rush inside if needed.  
"Glad I didn't have to interfere, for now" She whispered as she left the place.  
It had been a hard time for all of them. And they still didn't know who that female titan could be. She would have to do some more research. Maybe one in their group had betrayed them to that female titan? It was something she couldn't rule out.  
But for now, she needed some sleep. Before she could get that though, she needed to look up the wounded, and make sure they would survive the night.  
She was sure Eren would be fine. Mikasa refused to leave his side, so he was in good hands. All he needed was some sleep. He would probably be totally fine once the sun got up.

When she got to the hospital part, Hange could still see Mikasa sitting on the chair beside Eren where she left her. The girl had fallen asleep, but it didn't look comfortable.  
Hange smiled and took a blanket and covered Mikasa in it. The younger girl didn't move at all, but stayed asleep.  
Hange gave up a small yawn before doing her last check up for the night. When she was done, she lightened a fire in the fireplace to keep the people warm.


End file.
